Foremost Definition

fôrmōst

adjective

More prominent or important than others, especially in position or rank.

The foremost researchers in the field.

American Heritage

First in place or time.

Webster's New World

First in rank or importance; leading.

Webster's New World

(nautical) Closest to the bow.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

adverb

Before all else; first.

Webster's New World

In the front or first position.

Kept the idea foremost in her mind.

American Heritage

Wiktionary

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Origin of Foremost

From Old English formest, fyrmest (“earliest, first, most prominent”), from Proto-Germanic *frumistaz, from the locative stem *fur-, fr- + the superlative suffix *-umistaz. The suffix *-umistaz was a compound suffix, created from the rarer comparative suffix *-umô (as in Old English fruma) + the regular superlative suffix *-istaz (English -est). Cognate with Old Frisian formest, Gothic (frumists). See for, first and Old English fruma for more.

From Wiktionary
The Old English suffix -mest was eventually conflated with the word most through folk etymology, so that it is now interpreted as fore +‎ -most; former was back-formed analogically.

From Wiktionary
Alteration of Middle English formest first from Old English per¹ in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition